Business Formation & Governance
LLC, S-corp, and C-corp formation with operating agreements, cap tables, and bylaws drafted to anticipate your next funding round.
Boutique Advisory · Texas, USA
Legal Strategy and Accounting Discipline, Under One Roof
Twenty-six years guiding founders, family offices, and operating companies through formation, tax planning, contracts, and audit defense — without the big-firm overhead.
Trusted by 480+ businesses across Texas
- Years in practice
- 26
- Clients served
- 480+
- Transactions advised
- $1.2B
Selected clients & affiliations
- American Bar Association
- AICPA
- Texas State Bar
- Delaware Bar
- NACVA
- Clio Certified
Practice Areas
One firm. Both disciplines. End-to-end coverage.
From the first operating agreement to your eventual exit, our integrated bench keeps legal exposure and tax outcomes aligned at every milestone.
Contracts & Commercial Agreements
Master service agreements, vendor contracts, NDAs, and licensing — negotiated by attorneys, stress-tested for tax impact by CPAs.
Tax Planning & Preparation
Federal, state, and multi-state filings for individuals, partnerships, and corporations with proactive year-round optimization.
IRS & Audit Defense
End-to-end representation before the IRS, state revenue boards, and the Texas Comptroller — including offers in compromise.
Bookkeeping & CFO Advisory
Monthly close, financial reporting, and fractional CFO services calibrated to operators running between $1M and $50M in revenue.
Estate, Trust & Succession
Wills, revocable trusts, dynasty trusts, and family-business succession plans coordinated with your tax and asset structure.
All practice areas are staffed by partners with 12+ years of senior-side experience.
Who We Are
A dual-discipline firm built for clear-headed decisions.
Sterling & Hayes pairs licensed attorneys with credentialed CPAs so every contract, election, and entity choice is evaluated through both a legal and tax lens before you sign. No silos, no second invoices, no surprises.
We work with operators who want senior judgment without paying for partner-track billable bloat. Most engagements are flat-fee or capped, and we publish our hourly ceilings up front.
- Licensed in Texas, Delaware, and New York
- AICPA-member CPAs on staff
- Flat-fee and capped engagements
Flat-Fee Packages
Transparent engagements with published ceilings.
Pick a published bundle, or build a custom retainer in your free consultation. All packages include senior partner involvement.
Formation Bundle
LLC + Operating Agreement + EIN
Texas or Delaware entity, customized operating agreement, federal EIN, and S-corp election if elected.
- Investment
- $2,500
- Timeline
- 10 business days
Annual Compliance
Books, Returns & Annual Filings
Monthly bookkeeping, quarterly reviews, federal + state returns, and annual report filings — flat monthly fee.
- Investment
- from $480 / month
- Timeline
- ongoing
Audit Defense Retainer
IRS & State Audit Representation
Pre-paid defense retainer covering correspondence audits, field examinations, and offers in compromise.
- Investment
- $3,950
- Timeline
- 12-month term
Estate Plan
Wills, Trusts & Powers of Attorney
Customized estate plan with revocable trust, pour-over will, healthcare and financial powers of attorney.
- Investment
- $3,200
- Timeline
- 3 weeks
Why Sterling & Hayes
What changes when your lawyer and CPA share a hallway.
Six things our clients consistently say they didn't get from their previous providers.
Privileged & Confidential
Every engagement runs under attorney-client privilege — including the accounting work product.
48-Hour Response SLA
Senior partner reply within two business days, in writing, on every active matter.
Flat & Capped Fees
We publish ceilings up front. No mystery invoices, no quarter-hour surprise.
Senior Eyes Only
Your matter is staffed by attorneys and CPAs with 12+ years experience — never first-year associates.
Multi-State Coverage
Active bar admissions in Texas, Delaware, and New York; CPAs licensed in TX, CA, and FL.
Encrypted Document Vault
SOC 2 Type II-audited client portal for document exchange, e-signature, and tax filings.
Senior Bench
Meet the partners who will actually do the work.
No bait-and-switch staffing. The names you see here are the names on your engagement letter.
Margaret Sterling, Esq.
Managing Partner · Corporate & Tax
JD, LL.M. Taxation
Twenty-two years advising founders on entity selection, equity grants, and exits.
Email Margaret
David Hayes, CPA
Partner · Tax & Audit Defense
CPA, MBA
Former IRS revenue agent now helping clients win audits before they start.
Email David
Priya Nair, Esq.
Partner · Contracts & Commercial
JD, MBA
Closes 60+ commercial agreements per year for SaaS, healthcare, and energy clients.
Email PriyaClient Voices
What founders and CFOs say after working with us.
Verified Google and Clio reviews from active clients across Texas, Delaware, and New York.
★★★★★
Sterling & Hayes restructured our operating agreement and tax election in three weeks — saving us roughly $310k in projected federal liability.
Andrea Washington
CEO, Lumen Health Systems
★★★★★
Most firms hand you to a junior. Margaret personally negotiated our LP agreements through three closings. Worth every basis point.
Marcus Chen
Founder, Halberd Capital
★★★★★
David rebuilt our multi-state sales tax posture before our Series B audit. We passed with zero adjustments — a first for us.
Lauren Park
CFO, Vertex Industrial Group
Common Questions
Frequently asked before the first consultation.
If your question isn't here, ask it on the consultation form — we read every submission within one business day.
Do you handle both legal and accounting work for the same client?
Yes. The whole point of Sterling & Hayes is integrated counsel under attorney-client privilege. One engagement letter, one bill, one team.
What does a typical engagement cost?
Most matters are flat-fee or capped. Formations start at $2,500. Annual tax compliance for operating companies typically runs $4,800 – $14,000.
Are you licensed outside of Texas?
Yes. Our attorneys are admitted in Texas, Delaware, and New York. Our CPAs are licensed in Texas, California, and Florida, plus pro hac vice arrangements as needed.
How quickly can we get started?
After a 30-minute consultation we typically deliver an engagement letter within 48 hours and begin work the same week.
Free 30-Minute Consultation
Talk to a partner — not a paralegal — about your matter.
Tell us what you're working on. If we're not the right fit we'll tell you on the call and refer you to someone who is.
- Privileged & confidential
- Reply within 24 hours
- No obligation
Office 412 Congress Avenue, Suite 1900 Austin, TX 78701
Hours Monday – Friday · 8:30 AM – 6:00 PM Saturday · By appointment Sunday · Closed